Kano Seeks Partnership With British Council to Promote Education

Doguwa, Kano state Commissioner for Education

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

Kano State Government is seeking a partnership with the British Council to promote education and further address challenges bedeviling the development of the educational sector in the state.

The state Commissioner of Education, Umar Haruna Doguwa stated this on Tuesday while receiving a team from British Council that paid him a working visit in his office.

A statement by the Director of Public Enlightenment in the Ministry, Balarabe Abdullahi, indicated that Umar Doguwa told his visitors that,  “there is no better time to revive the long existing relationship between Kano State Government and British Council than now as the state embarks on creating policies and programmes aimed at promoting the education sector.”

The Commissioner maintained  that what the British Council has been doing in Nigeria and Kano state, in particular, in terms of education development  remained very commendable, “but there is a need for more to complement the effort of the present administration in revamping the sector.”

He revealed that  “at this moment, the state is facing serious challenges that are undermining the progress of education and affecting the future of its youths.

” In Kano now, you have a school with 5000 pupils without standard toilets, no classrooms and seats. So, the problem is serious and pathetic.

” In addition to this, we can find a school with 300 students without a teacher at the same time sitting on the window or bare floor.”

Doguwa stated further that,  “Kano is now in need of 1.5 million seats for its students at primary and post-primary schools which were estimated to worth billions of Naira.”

He pointed out that the interventions expected from British Council in Kano on education are many, appealing that the Council should support the state to address the lingering challenges.

The Commissioner, however, lamented the increasing spate of out-of-school children in the state and assured of the present administration’s determination to address the situation.

” Today, we have 1.5 million out-of-school children, a situation that has to be looked into because having redundant people is like creating ground for insecurity.

” So, we need to work together and establish more schools in Kano with all the needed facilities as obtainable in Britain,” he added.

In his remarks, the team leader of the British Council delegation, who is also the Council Director, Programmes in Nigeria, Chikodi Onyemerela, said his team was in the Commissioner’s office to strengthen the long-standing existing relationship between the British Council and the government and people of Kano, particularly, in the area of education.

Chikodi explained that the British Council had been executing projects and programmes in Kano, especially in the area of higher education, primary, secondary and formal education.

” In the past, the British Council has been working in Kano in the area of community-led social development Programmes, sports, supporting systems, institutions as well as processes in the education sector,” he said.

He further assured the Commissioner of the British Council’s continued support to improve the quality of education in the state.